舞-SENSHI
by Twisted Eternal Wolvetta
Summary: The Searrs Space Agency had its risks; within an ORPHAN-infested space anything could happen. You could be disintegrated within the vacuum of space and shot out the heavens itself. But Tokiha Mai wanted more than this, NEEDED more than this. Who was her KEY? And once finding her... why did she balance her so well as their insanity entangled?


**舞-SENSHI**  
><strong>Koumokuten<strong>

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><p><em>Quick Author's Note<em>

_In 舞-SENSHI, the HiME-manga CHILDREN are used. Haruka's is Koumokuten, an angler fish CHILD whilst Yukino's is Miroir, not Diana. This CHILD looks like a jellyfish fused with a flower. I have also renamed Natsuki's to Durandal, a legendary French sword._

_For Senshi armour, imagine a robe crossed with the Evangelion suit and then include a helmet._

_The Senshi uniform is the same from 舞-HiME: Destiny._

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><p><em><strong>by Twisted Eternal Wolvetta<strong>_

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><p>A.D. 2303.<p>

Monitors of a cockpit flashed brightly. Light danced around a lucid, orange sphere.

Abruptly throughout the cockpit alarms blared and the lights shut off with a loud hum. It took a few moments before they reactivated, the cockpit washed in a dull red.

This was the brain of the machine.

"Kagutsuchi...?"

A user interface of the mecha activating before the Senshi. The monitors were a dazzling shade of fiery orange, some screens buzzing out with noise.

The Senshi's violet eyes hungrily scanned the report displayed to her, an eyebrow furrowing with concern.

_"68% overall damage has been received. Two of four magatama aren't working properly. One of two generators have overheated: The first engine is expected with the duration of 40 minutes cool-down. Severe caution must be authorised."_

Mouth going dry, she lifted her hands to the keyboard which sparked into existence. Typing away swiftly into another window which formed before her.

Diagrams loaded, these marked in orange and red for their levels of damage.

"Everything is broken..." The Senshi bit into her lower lip. Taking her hands from the keyboard, the device dispersed.

Leaning back into the chair which was held within the centre of the sphere, the pilot sighed. Sliding the heel of her palm against her temple, she ruffled at the short, carroty hair which was in the way.

Training her eyes upwards over the cockpit console, the Senshi peered into the vastness of space. Littering the vacuum mutely, vibrant beams of light zoomed, eruptions spreading with the columns.

"Kagutsuchi," she called again, reaching to her right for a cylinder. The container's top slid open and then glided down into the platform underneath, revealing a syringe. "I'm giving you nano-machines."

Grasping hold of the syringe she quickly skimmed her eyes across the warzone. Finding the vein within the crook of her elbow, the tool greedily gathered the blood.

The blood was a bright crimson, but either way didn't appear peculiar. Any trace of nano-machines unseen in the liquid.

Clipping the syringe into the arch of her seat, she locked it into place. The machinery quickly drink it, the lights shutting off to generate back into an orange hue.

"M-? Ai!" Through the intercom of the earphones fitted inside her ears, the message buzzed into her eardrums. The static was heavy and the voice faint, "Wh- r- ou?"

The intercom's interface flashed to her left, but the video was completely cut out. Only the distorted audio greeted her from behind that jittering, fuzzy noise.

"A-ka d-wn."

The audio had registered, but took time to digest within her brain. The Senshi stared out into the expanse of space. Mai felt a sinking sensation within her stomach, followed by another trail of explosions. There was a few seconds of delay before a line of colourful explosions lit the cockpit.

"Mai! Koumokuten is down!"

Dread invaded her mind instead of unease, disbelieving what she had heard crackle into the intercom. 'W-wh-'

"-Mai! Hurry!"

With her body stuck into place, she hesitated. Haruka couldn't be dead, right? That was her CHILD!

"MAI!" Durandal - Natsuki's voice was loud and clear, screaming in desperation. It broke her from her trance, but the conflict within her throat didn't expire.

Her voice rough and quivering as she rushed her reply. "N-Natsu-tsuki?" Mai blindly grasped for the handles for controlling the CHILD, jamming the acceleration pedal.

The thrusters ignited along the small of his back, wrists and ankles. Fiery bands of energy curving around his mechanical body, whipping out alike to a solar flare. "W-where are you?"

Kagutsuchi's was radiant silver, crimson bands weaving around his shoulders to end with viridian either side. Six stunning green eyes ran up and trailed downwards to the front of his head. Along his chest that protruded outwards were two golden ovals. The shapes arched up and then down; the bottom traced with black jagged "L"s.

The complexity and design of Kagutsuchi was astounding. Right down from his shape, up to the finer details. Four bands angled outwards from his head, one atop his head but abruptly extruding upwards. Another emerald centred within this cylinder before pointing upwards further behind him. In every detail for his skull, he was a Japanese dragon, perfect for a fire CHILD.

Bleeping from different screen snatched her attention as she moved the handles which ran Kagutsuchi's arms. Setting them into defence-standby, the radar upon the monitor flickered out two mechas locations.

Alarms blared with the ORPHAN's screams, Mai guiding the mecha towards Natsuki's CHILD. Her hands clenched the controls, the bones of her knuckles protruding in a rigid detail.

With Mai's mecha damaged, the thrusters were working poorly. The cylinders upon the small of his back were mostly burned out. Each time they were activated, they were sluggish, rattling just to disengage.

Her CHILD was in pain and she could do nothing... "I'm sorry, Kagutsuchi..."

Mai rubbed her thumb against fire button of the handle, the surface worn down. "This is my fault."

Even though she couldn't hear a voice, she knew the CHILD disagreed. A relaxing sensation wrapped her up. Kagutsuchi was speaking with her through sense alone, his power-level decreasing but speeding up.

Through the sphere, Mai gawked. An emotionless sense overtook her form as she reached Koumokuten. The CHILD was compressed and smouldered down, a twisted husk of its original self. Spiny blades which ran across his back were torn off; either floating around him or crumbled. Six circular, glowing eyes were either smashed in or cracked.

What had happened...? Mai's eyes traced along the framework, even the colour of the mecha had been damaged. Either scratched, dented or tainted, it appeared a completely different hue in patches.

Then the angler antenna...? She had no clue where that was. The rod having been snapped clean off from the back of the mecha's shoulder-blades.

There was also a leg missing, the Senshi noted, not knowing where that was either. The joint of the CHILD's hip was jagged like the limb had been pulled clean off.

"Mai!" It was Natsuki, the woman's Durandal smashing into Kagutsuchi from behind. The mecha's hands were unarmed, too busy with defending herself against a monstrous ORPHAN. The mechanical beast strained against her, metal shark-like teeth trying to pry Durandal's hands away. Within its ghastly outer jaws, a smaller set were slot within that, snapping away.

The mecha shook, and the technology rattled with the alarms bleeping. Mai slammed down the brake pedal and guided her CHILD away. Stretching out above the controls as Kagutsuchi glided upwards, Mai swirled him around. Standing up against the bars which were above the pedals, she looked fully above the machinery. Quickly, Mai scanned their position for any threats visually.

Her eyes darted to the radar, the only incoming danger radiating from the ORPHAN below her. The Durandal getting the better of it.

Violently the monstrous creature thrashed, no sound illuminating from it inside space. A scattering of shimmering emerald and crimson orbited around its damaged mouth. As the blood scattered into grouped blobs, the intercom blurted in again, Natsuki screeching at her. "Help! Fry its circuits!"

Not needing to be told twice, Mai piloted the CHILD behind the ORPHAN. The horror struggled again, its body much larger than the two CHILDREN.

It's tail smashed against Kagutsuchi, but Mai only ordered him to cling against it. She cringed within the cockpit, the technology around her straining and the alarms blaring louder as everything shook.

"Do it! Now!" The elder from the Durandal barked. Frozen fingertips slowly slipped from the ferocious shaking which the ORPHAN produced. She cursed, momentarily losing grip of the monster's mouth to snatch hold of it. Swiftly grasping at the smaller set of jaws that snapped at Durandal, his palms solidified. The icy crystal stuck to the metallic skin of the ORPHAN, locking it to the CHILD.

Pulling the handle for Kagutsuchi's left arm as far back as possible, Mai tensed her fingers. Motioning her CHILD's hand into a fist, the mecha slammed his fist into the ORPHAN.

The predator blared through into the intercoms of all surrounding CHILDREN, the Senshi inside wincing. This only motivated the pair to shut it up quicker, Natsuki still holding onto it. She only just succeeded as Kagutsuchi impaled the hand deeper within the ORPHAN's back. Reaching the metal, flesh and blood of internal organs and circuits, the Senshi called out. "Kagutsuchi!" Jamming her thumb against the button atop the handle, blasting the magatama into action.

The fiery ornament spun and it tore into the ORPHAN. Screeching produced through into the intercoms as the monster thrashed around. It managed to tear itself out of Durandal's grip, ice shattering to orbit them. Blood flowed from the outer jaw and inside the ice still attached to its inner set.

Before long the noise died and the struggling subsided. The ORPHAN stilled, Kagutsuchi unjamming his fist from inside the fleshy-metalwork of the beast. A pipe in hand which was bloodied, strands of flesh fluctuated from it. Durandal did the same, icy crystal glittering from his fingertips, icicles having formed up his forearms.

_"Searrs Space Agency, repeat, this is the Searrs Space Agency."_

Relief flooded the two Senshi as the feminine voice sounded. It halved their focus between the intercom and the wreckage of Koumokuten. However this was only for a moment as they neared the CHILD, the intercom buzzing again.

_"Koumokuten's status is critical, power has disengaged to 23%. KEY: Kikukawa Yukino lives, Senshi: Suzushiro Haruka..."_

The pair held their breath, Natsuki's annoyance getting the better of her. "Just say it!"

_"A-alive. Unconscious. I suspect the crash with the ORPHAN may have caused a concussion, please hurry."_

Where even was Yukino? They hadn't seen or heard of her since just before the mass-invasion of ORPHANs. Was she close by?

Or was she protecting the Koumokuten? It did make sense to an extent, but Yukino couldn't evade the Senshi radars yet.

But?

It was a musing which trespassed within Mai's brain as the Senshi neared the damaged CHILD. Kagutsuchi went first to extend tubing from his chest - a type of transport.

"The air level is low..." Mai uttered, worry tearing at her features as she clicked a set of keys above her. The buttons flashed yellow and then glowed, an oxygen helmet falling from above her.

With the hatch-door exiting the cockpit slid open, there was no response from Natsuki. Along Kagutsuchi's radar however, it reported the Durandal had moved behind the Koumokuten.

Not in the means of access, but to stabilise the CHILD. Durandal's icy hands clutched hold of Koumokuten's shoulders.

The transparency of the sphere deactivated within Kagutsuchi, and Mai slid the helmet on. Adjusting flexible material which pasted onto her throat, the white merging over the base of her orange and white armour.

Twisting the switch along the column of her neck, she set it on. The gill-blades along the helmet sucked in oxygen before closing. The visor for the helmet then sealed shut.

Adjusting everything to make sure the gear didn't leak any oxygen, Mai was content. She slipped out from the chair and slid through the sphere. The particles buzzed as her body skimmed through the nano-material, floating slothfully.

Pushing off from the floor of the cockpick, Mai grasped hold of the hand-wheel.

The lock refused to move, and the tension within her arms and hands increased. Forcing it to twist around, Mai grit her teeth, pulling the wheel outwards from the hatch. Slowly, the hatch opened, the tunnel revealing itself.

The thought of Haruka being dead invaded her mind, but she shook off the feeling. Guiding her body within the tunnel, she grasped at the handles scattered amongst the tunnel. Pulling herself up, Mai then pushing off with the momentum.

It took a minute or so for her to reach Koumokuten's own hatch. Sliding her armoured hands along the surface of it. Trying to find the sensor which'd give her access, but unable to discover it, she frowned.

"...Natsuki," she murmured into her intercom. The device activating upon the emitting of her voice, "I can't get inside." Hooking her feet against the tunnel handles, her toes slipped between the bolted metal. She continued to skim her palms along the smooth surface, trying to get inside.

"You're going to have to risk searing through, Mai." Natsuki confirmed, their link deconnecting for a brief second before solidifying again. Static washed over the woman's gruff voice, interference spiking through. Mai's ear twitched, the drone of Durandal's system flickering in. "Don't think about it."

But wasn't that impossible? Mai frowned, staring at the barrier before her, memories invading her mind. Old memories disturbed her, and as much as she could, she shoved them aside.

Pressing her fingertips against the hatch, Mai materialised a pair of magatama rings. They were identical to Kagutsuchi's, the loops spinning leisurely.

She could only pray that she wouldn't damage Koumokuten any further than what he was. There was a chance the life-support system was busted, putting Mai further on edge. She held her breath nervously, an interface flashing before her eyes within her visor.

The gauge for her magatama was shown either side with their quality. Overheating and speed were set at null, the diagrams completely transparent.

Willing the tools to spin within her mind, the gauge slowly filled. Steadily the heat lifted and she angled her wrists. The scorching fire danced around her, the blades whipping against the hatch.

_"5% overheating."_

_"24% overheating."_

_"59% overheating."_

The fire was hot around her, bursts of flames hitting and then bouncing off her armour. Gradually she cut into the hatch, the shell of it thick, making it overly difficult. A stress gathered within her stomach and an anxiety impacted within her mind. She wondered whether she'd be able to sear through and gain access into the cockpit.

_"86% overheating."_

Gasping a breath of relief, the hatch door groaned. Mai gritted her teeth and latched her hands against the wheel. Her arms tensed as she spun it out of its lock, shoving the nuisance with all her might towards the side.

Even with the nano-machines which flowed through her power-suit, this feat was arduous. Her fingers dug into the jagged edges of the hatch, metal cutting into her hands. She slipped them into the gap of the door, wincing.

She had no time for this.

_"Hurry, something is wrong."_

"I need more information than that." Mai breathed, guiding the door aside then squeezing past into the cockpit. She was situated outside the materialised sphere, Koumokuten on the defensive. The yellow barrier jittered in areas, morphing into a vibrant green.

"Yukariko?"

Their link disconnected, their communication being brought to a standstill.

Ah… this might be bad. Porphyrous irises scanned the sphere closely this time, Mai holding a breath and nearing it slowly. Guiding a hand upwards to touch her palm to the barrier, she was instantaneously shook from it. She hissed, a shock bolting up her limb.

"Haruka?" She lifted her voice, trying to directly connect to Koumokuten. This method simply failed, and Mai tensed her shoulders, inhaling through her nostrils with worry.

What was she to do?

Activating her magatama, she exhaled, trying to calm the nerves which gnawed at her. Mai's weight lifted delicately, barely a few inches away from the sphere, right in front of the blonde. Instantly violet eyes widened, stunned and glued into place, floating before the older woman.

The areas which fizzled softly were due to droplets, the liquid a faint red and Mai couldn't help but stare at the underside of the sphere, the static unrelenting.

...Blood.

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><p>"How is she?" Natsuki asked softly.<p>

"We have put her into a coma." Flipping the camera over to the chosen room, Youko sighed. Stepping back she allowed the Senshi to see the screen, shoving her hands into her pockets.

The footage was lined and dropped for a moment until setting back into place. For the room which Haruka was within, it consisted entirely of white. It looked more alike to a prison's execution chamber than a hospital!

Grounded within the centre of the room lay the bed, the blonde Senshi occupying it. A morbid shiver ran through Natsuki's spine, looking away from the mass of wires and machines.

"We're lucky Mai got to her so quickly." Youko murmured. The two of them shifted their attention to Mai. The redhead was cooped up in the corner beside them, form downcast, arms wrapped around herself.

"I should've got there quicker..."

Youko frowned, shifting her attention back to the camera. The footage jolted again, and she sagged her shoulders. She needed a new monitor... it was incredibly old fashioned as it was.

Slamming her fist atop it abruptly, spooking the other two in response, Youko shook her head. The quality didn't improve within the large cube, and if anything it gloated at her.

"Natsuki." She spoke, grabbing the Senshi's attention, flicking the monitor off. "Take Mai to command, she can't work like this."

"Don't b-"

"Mai." The call was firm, Natsuki kneeling herself down in front of the fellow Senshi. Awkwardly she grabbed hold of Mai's hands within her own, peering away. "I know she's your mentor and she's stu-"

"She isn-"

Exhaling, Natsuki glanced over her shoulder to the engineer-doctor. "I'll take her to Shizuru. Come on Mai, let's get you back into your uniform."

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><p><em>"The soul and body of a CHILD is the mind and armour of a Senshi." - Maria Graceburt (A.D. 2294).<em>

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><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES<strong>

I've been wanting to write a mecha story for a long while. Especially one which is focused in space. The idea must've originally popped up when I reread the Mai-HiME manga recently. Hilariously Gakutenou is a mecha in that, and perhaps that's what struck me to write this. Although honestly I have been wanting to write a Mai-Series mecha since watching Gunbuster. By god, do I love Aim for the Top! Gunbuster! It has a special place within my heart, that classic does.

This chapter was definitely a basic introduction. I haven't put much detail into the characters, so this will wait for the next chapter. Three thousands words is going to generally be the average for these chapters, also.

For 舞-SENSHI I have written this entirely in the Flesch-Kincaid reading system. I never realised how horrific my writing was until I used this! Never again will you have to bear with my complex and never-ending sentences!

What do you think? And no, it _isn't_ ShizNat.


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